Suella Braverman’s appointment as home minister, six days after she resigned over security breaches, was the focus of Rishi Sunak’s first weekly debate as prime minister. With intent to watch, his boss kicked it into the corner.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor Party, celebrated the arrival of the “first Asian Briton” at 10 Downing Street, referring to Sunak’s appearance. “England is a place where people of all races and beliefs can fulfill their dreams.”
But he quickly asked: “Was it good that the Home Secretary resigned last week?” Sunak wanted to discredit Braverman’s breach of ministerial code of conduct by “admitting his mistake”. He later pointed out the priorities of the Ministry of Returnees as “fighting crime and securing borders”.
Starmer accused him of putting the party at the head of the country. “He sold national security out of fear of losing another presidential election,” he said. That is, Sunak, who lost an internal dispute against Liz Truss in July, only nominated Braverman in exchange for her support in the latest leadership race. The Tories.
On Braverman, the Labor council is planning an “urgent question” in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon. He wants the minister to clarify the circumstances of his dismissal and reinstatement and why six days is sufficient to remove the grounds for his dismissal. But Braverman did not attend, leaving the Secretary of State to chair the Council of Ministers in his stead.
“Two Weights and Two Measures”
“Transparency is vital to public opinion regarding the Prime Minister’s decision to re-nominate him to a government post responsible for national security,” Labor shadow minister Yvette Cooper demanded. “This should include the scope of the Home Secretary’s personal email accounts for disseminating government documents and the extent to which official documents are sent outside government.”
The Liberal Democrats are also calling for an inquiry into Braverman’s downfall after a “serious breach of security” pointed out by the Liz Truss government. “If Suella Braverman is found to have repeatedly breached the ministerial code of conduct and threatened national security, she should be sacked,” said spokesman Alistair Carmichael. “A Home Minister who breaks the rules is not good for a Home Ministry who abides by the rules.”
The FDA General Administration Association accused Sunak of a “double standard.” Its president, Dave Penman, said a public servant who behaved like Braverman would “rightly, face severe punishment and lose their security clearances.” In his view, the signal given was that “ministers can act with impunity if it suits the Prime Minister”.
Theresa May’s chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, a member of Sunak’s Conservative Party, said he would not have included Braverman in government. “It’s a good start, I think the speech was on the right note, Suella’s appointment is probably the most contested note.”
Environmental commitment, not community
In Parliament, Starmer attacked Sunak for maintaining the non-resident tax system, which once allowed the prime minister’s wife, billionaire Akshata Murthy, to pay less tax (she ended up paying more than the law, voluntarily, and a scandal erupted).
Labor lamented that the cost of the crisis had fallen on the poor, and accused Sunak of advocating the diversion of investment from poorer areas to richer ones. “It pretends to be on the side of working people, but in private it says very different things.”
He insisted that the elections be held as he said the people were not afraid of judgment. “Leadership isn’t about selling fairy tales, it’s about facing challenges,” countered Sunak, recalling that before leading the opposition, Starmer was led by Jeremy Corbyn.
Ahead of the weekly debate, the executive announced that Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt would present the budget proposal next Monday, November 17, instead of the planned date.
Another reference to disadvantaged families came from Ian Blackford, parliamentary leader of the Scottish Nationalists. He reiterated his criticism of Braverman — who wants to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He also sought assurances that Sunak’s budget would allow social benefits to rise in line with inflation. The Prime Minister did not promise.
The only Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, called on Sunak to maintain the ban on hydraulic fracturing (breaking), wanted to withdraw the pioneering Truss. “I have already said that I will defend the electoral scheme [que bania o fracking]”, replied the governor, proud of the environmental protection promoted by the conservative administration.
Extreme heat
Chung was generally considered not bad in the British press, but he had not yet provided the necessary impetus to reverse the bad course. The Tories At the polls. “If it had been a football game, it would have been a draw,” wrote The Telegraph, close to the Conservatives. The Prime Minister and Starmer did well, but “neither reached the crucial moment to ensure a clear victory”.
“It won’t change the fundamentals. The Conservative Party is still in a hole,” wrote Dan Hodges, a columnist for the Mail on Sunday. In his view, Starmer has everything to win the next elections. “Still, it was a massacre. Rishi Sunak was ready for Keir Starmer on all counts. Labor MPs will worry.
“Total creator. Devoted tv fanatic. Communicator. Evil pop culture buff. Social media advocate.”
